Life and Health
Digital Note: SICK BUILDING SYNDROME (SBS)
How to prevent viruses with better maintenance practices for facilities
Modern buildings may be listed on the SBS list.
The indoor air quality of buildings, the ventilation system, air distribution, and the choice of construction material will guarantee the health of people in any work area or building. According to the World Health Organization WHO, sick building syndrome is the set of diseases suffered by occupants of facilities stimulated by indoor air pollution as a result of contagion or human contact in closed spaces, or by the poor condition of the building.
On the other part, the WHO highlights a series of characteristics that identify these buildings:
- Hermetic buildings
- Incorrect air filtering due to lack of maintenance or inadequate design, especially when the quality of the outside air is low or there is high re-circulation.
- Floors, walls and other interior design elements with textile coating
- Ineffective air conditioning system
- Pressure differences between spaces, causing air currents and changes in thermohygrometric conditions.
- Lack of maintenance, hygiene or sanitation.
A building is considered sick if at least 20% of its occupants have a common symptomatology: nasal congestion, hoarseness, changes in taste and smell, dryness and irritation of the respiratory tract, headaches, fatigue, among others. The result of a study carried out by Finnish researchers in 2010 showed that the SBS seriously affects productivity indicators, both in job performance and absence from work due to occupational disease.
Good maintenance practices is the best tool to have a clean and disinfected building, the secret lies in routine inspection, as well as the frequency of maintenance using technology and innovation. The use of an adequate and controlled filtration system, the appropriate distribution design from the outlet to the air return, the cleaning of the ducts in the HVAC systems, good circulation, an appropriate conditioning system, rigorous sanitation measures and hygiene in facilities are some of the suggestions to avoid this type of collective discomfort. This prevents illnesses, therefore provides confidence and ergonomics, preserving healthier jobs.
The future demands work presence and the secret is to prevent psychosocial risk and guarantee a better work environment in healthy facilities away from viruses and infections.
Protect your workforce.
We are your company. Media of Tlbs